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I rarely buy lingerie anymore (for obvious reasons, I have no more room in our two-room flat!) but when I do, it’s those pieces that I have considered long and hard. I am actually pretty considerate when it comes to buying pretties: I usually wonder and weigh on my purchases for months and really think hard if I want and need the item in question. I don’t have tons of spare coins and I like good quality clothing that is ethically made, so I save my pennies to buy something absolutely gorgeous or adorable.

So, I decided to make my first lingerie purchase in probably years and invested in a My Retro Closet “Jayne” nightie in red – I just couldn’t resist the ruffles, the adorable shoulder-ties and the way it spoke Xmas to me. Regardless of it being a Christmas season treat to myself, I decided to review it here now as I truly think this piece of heaven deserves a special mention here on my blog.

I have admired My Retro Closet’s pieces for a while and they struck me as something we could have seen on the actresses of Mad Men or in the sleepover scene in Grease – perfect 50’s-60’s style boudoir glamour that look both effortless and sexy. I was first wary about the fit and the look this nightie would give me – I wasn’t sure if it was going to sit nicely on my larger-than-average bust and I was afraid of looking frumpy and shapeless in it. There were also not specific sizes when it came to the Jayne babydoll, which is not usually good for busty ladies like myself. However, the website said it would fit UK sizes 8-16, so I decided to give it a try.

My fears were not in the right at all, as the cut is very generous and would probably fit a plethora of body shapes and sizes. The tie-shoulders help with adjusting the neckline to a height that suits my body (and my mood!) the best. I find the shape rather flattering in its unique way – it’s rather innocent while being so flowy but also a bit naughty as it is a see-through fabric. The see-through aspect of it is not the most obvious which is something I like – I want just a hint of my skin showing through.
My Retro Closet’s own house brand is usually made-to-order, with the exception of some special sale events when the owner (a lovely lady, if I may say so!) sews a few of the most popular styles ready-to-ship. I ordered my Jayne babydoll during a 20% flash sale but yet it was made-to-order – however, I told the owner that I needed the item by a certain date for a special occasion and she made sure to sew and ship it in time, so it arrived in Finland several days before the D-day. I was ecstatic and can only say good things about the customer service! She is also a doll on social media and always replying to her customers questions on there as well.

When the parcel arrived in just a few days after shipping, I was happy to discover a lovely neatly wrapped babydoll in it – and it was even more gorgeous than I had hoped it to be! The quality was impeccable and you could see it was made with love. Some of the best lingerie money I have seriously ever spent (and I have spent quite some…)! The colour was a perfect true red which suits perfectly Christmas, Valentine’s Day and pretty much any day you want to feel sassy and retro.
I am very much of home-type of person – I do like my nights out and going to gym and strolling in the city centre etc, but my bed is literally the best place I know. Preferable with my loved one (don’t you think dirty there!). Even though I got the Jayne nightie for a special occasion, I do find it rather practical as well. Sure, I would never give up my Bambi onesie I got from Disneyland – after all I got proposed in it! – but I also sometimes like to feel a bit feminine without giving up my comfort either. This is where the Jayne comes in – it makes me feel so sexy yet not exposed nor uncomfortable at all.

Depending on the time you order, the made-to-order items at My Retro Closet take about 2-6 weeks to sew and ship. So if you have a day you need them on, please make sure to order in time and leave the owner a note! The Jayne range also features a bralette and panty set I very much have my eyes on – I am just hesitant to make a purchase because of my bust size. However, I have ordered some other items from them and they have always been beautiful and great quality. This store and it’s lovely owner get a huge thumbs up from me! If you are interested in your very own Jayne, it costs £75. However, they do have regular sales for a few % off if you are on a budget! And even on regular price, I can tell the products are totally worth it 😉

There is nothing like getting a lingerie item made to your own specific measurements: it feels like the ultimate luxury, having something so close to your body fit like a dream. So you can imagine my delight when the legendary Vollers Corset Company contacted me and asked if I wanted to review a corset from their selection. Of course I did! Knowing I wouldn’t fit into the measurements of their regular overbust corsets, we immediately decided to have a corset made to my measurements specifically. I was over the moon! After a couple of weeks of making my corset and sending it to me in a lovely luxurious wrapping, I finally placed my paws on this beautiful garment. As corsets take time to test, I have owned this piece for a few months now but I hope I can be a bit more thorough with my review because of that.

The Design: I wished for something similar to the Eye Candy corset as it was a classic sweetheart neckline with a Jessica Rabbit-ish look to it! I had seen a couple of other bloggers wearing similar styles and had fallen head over heels in love with it. I also really wanted an overbust corset, as that was something quite impossible for me when buying corsets off-the-rack – so it was kind of a once-in-a-lifetime kind of opportunity. I would say that the Eye Candy style is more of a quarter-bust style as it does NOT cover even half of my bust. I know my bust is quite big to be contained in an overbust corset, but it is also a matter of breast shape; my bust has a lot of fullness on the top part of it (ie above the areola) which means there will be naturally more overflow with these sort of corset styles.

I had no idea what colour my corset would be, but I wished for something golden, as I thought is was a great colour for both spring and autumn and would fit perfectly under a little black or red dress during the Christmas party season. The Vollers team decided to make my wish come true and paired the gold with a classic black. The laces are black to be as modest as possible and the golden grommets are carefully hidden with an extra fabric trim at the front. The curve of the corset is quite impressive which is always a huge upside when it comes to corsets – however, if you want something extra curvy and decide to go for bespoke Vollers corset, I would advice you to give the design team a bit smaller waist measurement than you actually have. This will ensure you can tight-lace and even waist train in your corset and won’t have to change your corset size too soon.

The lower part of the corset is not my favourite style though – the rounded “hem” makes my belly look more rounded than it is and does not flatter my body type the best way. I would have probably needed something a bit more straight/horizontal line to fit my body – now the hem of the corset curves upwards at the sides which is not ideal on my body, as I would love some compression and definition especially on my upper hip/lower belly area.

The Fit: The corset I received features 16 steel bones, ten panels , a waist tape and five busk closures to close it at the front. As I knew better with this corset, it being my second, I knew that I had to close it at the front starting from the middle busk closures and then working my way up/down from there. This corset was a lot easier to close and open compared to the True Corset which I reviewed here – I think that might have had something to do with the Vollers corset being an inch or so bigger at the waist, which made it easier to loosen it up before trying to put it on. As this corset is made to my very own measurements, I could choose the size between regular corsets sizes 24 and 26, which made the waist size absolutely perfect for me. I only wear corsets for special occasions, so I won’t be closing the back anytime soon, but as this is the right size for me, I can still tighten the corset the way it won’t show any skin under the modesty panel.

My biggest gripe with this corset, as with the previous one from True Corset as well, is that it is undoubtedly too short for me. I have an extremely long torso that would need a suuuuper longline-style corset, which the Vollers corset unfortunately is not. This is a preference thing though – some like their corsets short and sweet, whereas I like mine to go seamlessly across my whole upper body. I feel like the shortness of the corset is pushing my middle body fat towards my lower belly and thus creating more bulk there, which is not the most desirable affect, especially with wiggle-style dresses. Also, it gives me less boob coverage when being so short, as I can’t hike the corset up more and risking my lower body having even less coverage.

The first and foremost question we need to ask with this piece is however, does it support my boobs? Well, in short, it really does. If you scroll down to the last picture of this review, you can see me wearing the corset under my Collectif Dolores dress without a bra on. The corset gives me a very Marie Antoinette like shape – kind of like a shelf-boob – but there is no discomfort with the bust flopping around or moving painfully inside my dress. The cups are big enough to hold all the volume of my lower breasts and there are no unsightly bulges to make people guess I have crammed myself into a too-small OTR corset. It doesn’t flatten me out either but makes my waist and bust ratio look deliciously curvy.

These pics have been taken a few months apart – this means there may be some slight changes to my body and how the corset looks on it.

Comfort: This one is always a bit tricky for me when it comes to reviewing corsets – some people claim good corsets are never uncomfortable and you will be able to breathe pretty normally with one on. To be honest, this is not the case with me. Even with a bespoke corset, I have hard time wearing it for several hours as it constricts my breathing, movement and eating habits. Disclaimer: don’t eat a normal warm meal when wearing a corset! It will instantly make you feel sick and you will need to take your corset off, especially if you are a beginner. As someone who lost her corset virginity only a few months ago, I cannot say for sure if the comfiness aspect will improve over months of wear, but I am pretty sure me and corsets are not meant to be full-time lovers. I also think this is a lot due to my ribcage shape which is very protruding and thus fights the shape of the corset. However, bones are flexible and will get used to corseting over time.

The materials of my Vollers corset are definitely premium quality and feel good against a bare skin – I know you are supposed to wear a liner or a cami of some kind to prevent your corset from greasing and getting sweaty, but I don’t wear them for a full day ever, so I am not too concerned about that. With my Vollers corset, I can clearly see that the quality is overall supreme, and it is lovingly stitched to the very last detail to make its wearer feel extra special.

Overall, my experience with the Vollers bespoke service was excellent, even though I forgot to mention a few details that would have helped them to create an even better fitting garment for my body type per se. If you are looking to have something made just for you, make sure to tell them each detail that they would need to take into consideration when it comes to your corset. Bespoke corsets cost always a bit more than their OTR equivalents, so make sure that the makers have all the information they need – this will ensure that at the end, you will have a perfect luxury product for your special occasions.

If you are looking to invest in a reasonably priced, well-made made-to-measure or off-the-rack corset, I would be happy to recommend Vollers for both purposes and budgets. You can find their look book here and get an idea what would suit your body the best way. To have a corset especially made for you, you can contact Vollers by email. However, they do offer most of their corsets in sizes 18″-38″ which is a very impressive size range on its own. Have you ever considered buying a bespoke corset? After this review, would you be tempted to? Let me know in the comments! xx

Hi everyone! First of all, I need to start by announcing the winners of my birthday giveaway. I was so happy to see so many entries (850+ in total, to be honest! WOW!) and was also so grateful to see a lot of people commenting nice things about my blog and congratulating me on turning 23. THANK YOU! There is so much hate in the world right now that I am happy to see kind words wherever I face them. Please stay positive and kind, gals 🙂 It makes the world a better place!

Now for the winners! The lingerie set of choice from My Curves and Me goes to…

EMMA H.

The Mala dress + three discount codes go to…

GABBY

Thank you everyone for taking part and congrats girls for winning!

Another thing I would like to address today is the fact that I have been nominated for Esty Lingerie Blogger Awards for the Best DD+ Blogger of the Year! What an honour! If you like my blog and enjoy our little bra-fulfilled space here, please go and cast me a vote, will you? If you did that for me, I would be a very happy peanut 🙂 ❤ Here’s a link, so get voting! The voting ends on 14th of December, 12 GMT.

Thanks in advance for voting me! Anyhow, I wanted to put together a gift guide for this year which would include some stuff that I truly love for myself and I think other pinup girls and lingerie lovers would enjoy. As a word of warning, this list does not include lingerie-only items but other things as well which are perhaps easier to shop for regardless of one’s bra or dress size. I have also tried to include things that are pretty budget-friendly as I am a student myself and know December is a tough month anyway (all student loan spent already, that is!). Hope you will find something to make you or your friend/spouse/mom/sister happy!

Playful Promises D+ Collection! – Let’s start with lingerie anyway cause why not 😉 I recently heard that Playful Promises – a well-known lingerie brand in pinup scene – is coming out with a full-bust collection! Well, these pieces have now been released and I have received my first ones which I am very happy about – the set is absolutely beautiful and well-made with a fairly reasonable price tag for such unique designs!

As a Christmas appropriate ensemble, I picked the Portia set to be included on my gift guide. All the bras go up to G-cup and to spoil you a bit, I must say they run a size small in the band and a size big in the cup. I would suggest trying out your regular Gossard size, if that helps! I am wearing a 32G with PP, for reference. The bra sets you back at £55 and the panties at £30 so not the cheapest but something you would definitely get points for treating your loved-one with!

Erstwilder brooches! – I have only recently become obsessed with brooches and the blame is on the pinup community. How am I supposed to resist these beauties if everyone flaunts their cute brooches around? My outfits don’t feel complete anymore and this is why I have requested my first Erstwilder “Fancy New Do” brooch from my boyfriend as a Christmas present! They are little pieces of art but only cost around 35 AUD with reasonable shipping rates to anywhere in the world.

Besame Cosmetics Lipsticks! – Unfortunately I have not yet had a chance to try Besame but I have heard some awesome things about them. If you wish to learn more about the brand and their quality, I would read Miss Victory Violet’s review on some of their products! I personally have been dying to try out these lush shades for forever and also really dig the packaging – who could resist such glamour?

You can get the lipsticks on Besame online store and even though they are quite pricy for $22 for a tube, they are a great luxury gift for a beauty-obsessed gal like myself! My personal favourite is the “Noir Red” which is part of their 30’s range full of rich deep tones of red.

Cute Aprons from Suburban 50’s! – I am a huge fan of baking but also a super messy person and my boyfriend is always amazed about my risk-taking abilities when I bake with my beautiful Pinup Girl Clothing frocks on. Not wise, to say the least! This is why I am looking forward to Christmas as apparently Mikko is planning to get me a cute apron as another Christmas present. As a picky person, I did do some research on pinup style aprons and found a lovely and affordable Etsy shop called Suburban 50’s. Most of their aprons are around $35 and are made with amazing novelty prints (like this foxy little number in the pic above) to top it all off!

PJ’s from Cyberjammies! – I know this is not particularly pinup but us glamour ladies need some comfy lounge- and sleepwear as well! One of my favourite brands to drool over at this time of the year is Cybejammies. They are a British company who sell reasonably-priced sleepwear with amazingly comfy materials and cutesy prints. I am including these “Flora” jammies (£45) on the list because they were the first thing that caught my eye a year ago at the Moda Exhibition while browsing the Cyberjammies stand and I am still head over heels in love with them!

Ewa Michalak lingerie! – Almost every full-busted gal loves Ewa and there is a pretty good reason for it; not everyone can offer such uplift and unique styles in hard-to-find sizes. Ewa Michalak bras are absolutely amazing quality for their price and most of the styles are created especially for the customer in question – meaning you should definitely be placing your order soon if you want to make it before Christmas! I fell in love with the SM Rozmarzona which is a beautiful pinup-esque style with a great size range and cute detailing!

Dita Stockings by Secrets in Lace! – I love stockings, holdups and any hosiery really as it makes me feel so glamorous, especially when wearing something super thin and festive. I recently came across these Dita Von Teese french heel stockings ($32) over at Secrets in Lace and they are so gorgeous I could die! Every pinup loves Dita so why not indulge your loved one with a pair of signed stocking from her idol?

So here were my tips on how to make a pinup girl reeeeeeally happy! Hope you enjoyed my list and if you have something to add, please feel free to comment down below. Let me know what are you wishing for Christmas! xx

This is a review that is long overdue and there is actually a rather good reason for it – I have been wearing the set all the freaking time. I am wearing my vintage repro clothing almost everyday so it’s not a surprise that the Gossard “Retrolution” is a perfect match for my style. Gossard was so kind to send me the whole set of the semi-soft balconette bra, brief and the waist cincher. The bra is actually now on sale for £18 so pay close attention to this review to find out whether it would be a good fit for you!

The Design: I have actually been drooling over this set for ages. I mean like seriously, when I first saw Miss Underpinnings and Le Curvy Kitten wearing it, I knew this would be my goal – to have my hands on this set one day, when I had the money or a miracle would happen (as I was and still am a poor student). Fast forward a couple of years and I have reached this bra goal and I am so happy I did. The set is all I expected it to be – quality materials, the perfect vintage shape without being too cone-bra-like and beautiful finishing touches like the rose gold metal parts.

I must warn you that this is not the bra for those gals who love the round shape of Cleo bras but perfect for any pinup girl out there who would like to test out the vintage shape without looking too out-there. The shape is a bit cone-y but not too much for my taste. The cups are semi-soft meaning the lower part of the cup is padded and the upper panel is soft. I love a good well-crafted semi soft any day and this is definitely one!

The Fit: This is probably one of the best-fitting semi-soft bras I have ever tried. It’s also a first bra with a padded lower half that doesn’t crease. Like, at all. The lower part of the cup is just deep enough for me to fit the bra perfectly. The upper part is a bit more closed at top than my other Gossard bras but it doesn’t lead up to any quad-boob so it’s not a problem at all. The wires hit me at the right point and the cetre core tacks nicely. All in all, this is probably my best-fitting Gossard bra of all times!

When it comes to sizing, this bra is consistent with other Gossard ranges. I opted for my regular size 32G and it feels spot-on. The band feels a little snug for a 32, as always, but there is a great improvement compared to my other Gossard bras – it has three hooks and eyes! The band feels so comfortable and supportive I cannot thank the Gossard team enough for making the band wider. The cups run larger than with other British brands so even if you are more full-on-top I would suggest sizing down. However, if you want to buy this bra, do it now. Gossard will not be carrying this style above E-cup starting from this spring season so if you see your size still available on their website, snatch it up asap!

The Comfort: I am impressed by the comfort of Gossard sets over and over again as I try new goodies from them. This is set is a favourite of mine for various reasons: it has a wider band, wider shoulder straps and great quality metal parts. The waist cincher includes suspenders but I have detached them as in the winter time I don’t really have a chance to wear stockings. However, the suspenders seems good quality too and the panties, both of them, are rather comfortable.

As the bra seems like a regular fit and comfort level for Gossard I will tell you more about the co-ordinates. First of all, both the brief and the cincher run a bit smaller than your regular Gossard co-ordinates so I would suggest sizing up if you are between sizes. The size Small I opted for felt a bit on the snug side but is still comfy enough to wear on a regular basis. The waist cincher is gorgeous but a little too short for me so if you have a long torso, keep that in mind. For someone a little more petite, the fit will be a lot better (I am 5’6). However, the waist cincher still does its job and flattens my stomach a bit as I do possess a little cookie pouch no matter how thin I am. The waist rolls down a bit as it’s too short for me so I cannot wear it without a belt to cover the seams on my waist but I usually wear it with my wiggle dresses which I like to wear with a belt anyway. The brief feels tiny at first but there’s still a fair amount of butt coverage so it’s a practical little number after all.

All in all the set is very pretty, well-fitting and comfortable. As I said before, I have been wearing this set a lot lately and with the co-ordinate options you can make it more versatile. If you would like to get Retrolution for yourself, you can find it on Gossard online store. The bra is still available in sizes 30-38 B-G so if there are any E+ sizes left, do consider them as when they’re gone, they really are gone!

Many of you must have become familiar with a very well known Parfait style called Charlotte (click for my previous review in 30G!). Basically, Charlotte is a Parfait best-seller going up to K-cup and this way, it has become a favourite for so many women who crave for sexy options for a fuller bust. I myself have owned Charlotte in its pink colourway but this autumn the Parfait team has come up with a great new colourway of Purple Wine. I was so smitten with the purple shade and as I had grown out of my pink version, I knew I had to have my hands on the purple Charlotte. Luckily, my friends at Large Cup Lingerie were so kind to send me a whole new set of Charlotte so here’s the updated review of Parfait’s G+ Charlotte.

Design: As you may know by my last review of Charlotte, I absolutely adore the design as it is very retro pinup-like and always comes in delicious colourways. I liked how the Charlotte has now seen a few deeper shades as the previous ones have been quite pink and cutesy. The purple hue is very lively and rich and reminds me of berries. I also like the black trimmings – they make the style a bit more whimsical and classic at the same time and give the design its signature look.

The cups of the 30HH Charlotte cover a lot more than my 30G but that is quite expected as many brands don’t really know how to make supportive bras with a little less fabric or just believe than bigger busted gals need a bit heavier bras. The shape of the bra is still good and it leaves a fair amount of my chest bare so I think the looks of the bra work well in bigger sizes as well. There is not much cleavage in sight but it’s always good to own even some bras that cater for more modest look under clothing.

Fit: As the my previous version of Charlotte in 30G fitted me true-to-size and also otherwise very well, I was a bit baffled when I heard the G+ sizes were a different story. The cups ran small, the cups and straps were wider and cups came up high in the armpit. I wanted to know if this was something I could get on with and found indeed the bra to be a different fit with in 30G and 30HH.

I don’t find the fit differences such a huge problem but as there are significant differences, I suggest you read my review thoroughly. First of all, the cups do run about a cup size and half small so I would say you need to size up either a cup size or two if you are bigger than a G-cup. My 30G was on the smaller side of G but still not as “off” as the cup volume in the bigger sizes. My usual size is now between 30GG and 30H so a 30HH was a pretty good guess I’d say. Also I had tried the red version of the bra in a 30J before and it fitted me well (!) BUT the sizes has been revised a bit since last spring and they now come up a tiny bit roomier. The bands are snug but I would still go for your regular band size as the 30 band fits my 30″ underbust very nicely.

The cups encase my breast tissue well and the whole bra feels very supportive on – it’s one of the most sturdiest bras I have at the moment. If you do have a large bust and need something that will keep your girls in place, this is the bra for you. The straps are very wide in my opinion which is also a pro if you want something super supportive. The bra band is also rather wide and so are the cups/wires. I would say Parfait could still do some revising on the fit as the cups tend to come quite high up in my armpit but as it goes, I can deal with that issue pretty well. Also the fit is quite good for my full-on-top boobs though there is some folding at the bottom of the cups as they seem to be a bit too shallow for me. However, the top part of the cups is not cutting in and the bra gives me a nice shape so I don’t mind the wrinkling too much.

Comfort: As the bra is a bit heavy and sturdy it is probably not your best choice for a summer day in hottest heat but when you want to feel secure and strapped down and eg need to run for a bus, this bra is a great option. I sometimes find myself opting for the lightest bras I own and in the end of the day, the narrow bands and straps just feel painful and too flimsy, especially if you are wearing the bra for several hours. I would say that Charlotte does have a lot of bra going on, but it can be a saviour of the day when you have been running around all day and your boobs still haven’t bounced and hit you in the face.

The panties of this set are again comfortable AF and look super flattering too. I have even worn my Charlotte panties for dance class and other sports and they always seem to do the job superbly. So if you get the bra, make sure to get the bottoms as well! Charlotte set also includes a pair of lovely high-waisted knickers so if you want to add up some extra retro vibe, make sure to check them out too. The panties run true-to-size in my opinion so I went for my regular size Small.

The bra goes up to 40K (!) and costs only £30 so it’s not gonna break the bank either. I would also like to dearly recommend Large Cup Lingerie as they have a fantastic customer service and they offer a FREE international delivery! The ladies at LCL put their heart into their work and it really shows while interacting with them. If you don’t find your size on the online store, just pop them an email and they will do their best to order your size asap.

Have anyone of you tried Parfait Charlotte in the G+ sizes? How did you like it and is there something you would improve? Leave me a comment below as I would love to know 🙂 xx

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